Arlington Heights incumbent endorses Hayes for mayor

Three candidates are seeking the village's top elected post

Three people are running to be the new mayor of Arlington Heights. From left, Ron Drake, Thomas Hayes and Mark Hellner (Handouts)

As candidates line up to run for Arlington Heights mayor, the village’s outgoing leader has announced who she endorses for the job.

Mayor Arlene Mulder said she endorses Trustee Thomas Hayes over Ron Drake and Mark Hellner. The three men have all filed for a spot on the April 9 ballot. Filing continues through Dec. 26.

“He’s a man of his word. He’s unshakable, intelligent and intuitive,” Mulder said of Hayes, 56.

Mulder announced in September that she would not run for another term. This race marks the first time in nearly two decades that an incumbent is not on the ballot for the top elected post in Arlington Heights.

Both Drake, 54, and Hellner, 61, said they did not ask for Mulder’s support.

Drake said the endorsement is a sign of what’s to come if Hayes is elected.

“I think what it will typify for the voters is that they can expect four more years of the same,” Drake said.

“She’s had a long working relationship with Tom,” Hellner noted. “I expected her to endorse him.”

Hayes was elected to the Village Board in 1991, alongside Mulder. An attorney with the McKenna Storer law firm in Chicago, he has been president pro tem for 13 years, serving as the mayor’s fill-in when she is absent.

Drake was mayor of Avondale, Ariz., before moving to Arlington Heights five years ago. Mulder described Drake as “very professional and accomplished.”

Hellner, 61, has spent two years in his first term on the village’s Housing Commission, a position Mulder appointed him to. Mulder called him a bright attorney and devoted father.

Hayes, who filed his candidate petitions on Monday, said he can bring new ideas with a working knowledge of the village.

“I think I provide the best alternative in terms of transition and leadership going forward in the next four years,” Hayes said.